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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. object — to protest
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. race — humankind
  8. key — in music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. object — a thing
  15. race — the arms race
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. snap — to click
  18. object — an aim
  19. saw — the tool
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com